Israeli hip-hop duo Ness and Stilla have divided Israeli opinion over a recent drill song which names Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa and Mia Khalifa among those who deserve “what’s coming” for their anti-Israel views, and in case of Khalifa, supporting Hamas.
The song, whose title “Harbu Darbu” loosely translates to the Arabic slang for “war and pain,” has become an unofficial anthem for the IDF since its release in November 2023, and has evoked mixed reactions for its vehement emphasis on revenge and violence.
Ness, 21, and Stilla, 25, chant the names of famous IDF brigades like the Givati, Golani and Kfir units in between calls of "One, two, shoot” and the song’s refrain: “All the units in the IDF are in a mode to thrust war and pain into your head.”
Rapper Dov Soroker, known as Stilla, defended the aggressive lyrics in Harbu Darbu. (Photo: Screenshot via YouTube)
At the end of the song, Ness and Stilla directly address “All who planned, supported [and] executed” the October 7 massacre, naming Hamas leaders Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh as well as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in between refrains of the Arabic phrase, “Every dog’s day will come.” The rappers then name Hadid, Lipa and Khalifa as culpable figures for having publicly shared their anti-Israel stance.
Stilla, whose real name is Dov Soroker, defended the lyrics during an interview with Ynet. He said that though the named celebrities are not “physically holding guns,” their words hold significant weight. “Disseminating lies is dangerous. And what if their fake news inspires people to kill Jews? It’s very similar to what Nasrallah does in his speeches.”
Ex-adult film star Khalifa responded to the song’s inclusion of her name in a post on X, writing: “Y’all that song calling for the IDF to kill me, Bella, and Dua is over a DRILL beat, they can’t even call for genocide in their own culture, they had to colonize something to get it to #1.”
The music video for the rap song has accumulated over 18 million views on YouTube and has been used as a soundtrack by countless IDF soldiers on TikTok. Its call to see “the whole country in uniform, from Galil to Eilat” and employment of phrases like “We brought the whole army upon you and there will be no forgiveness” play like a rallying cry for the nation’s young troops, but not everyone has been inspired by the song’s aggressive lyrics.
Nessya Levi, known by her stage name Ness, composed 'Harbu Darbu' with Stilla. (Photo: screenshot via YouTube)
“I absolutely hate that song,” Liam Yossef, 22, told The Times last week. “I was hoping it would fall flat. But I kind of knew it would be a hit. It’s embarrassing. I lost friends on October 7. But it’s still an awful song.”
Haaretz writer Ben Shalev expressed mixed feelings in a column on the song last month, conceding that while “Harbu Darbu” “exudes hatred and even a thirst for killing,” it does not go so far as to “call for Gaza and its people to be flattened” as some critics contended.
Veteran Israeli music promoter Hillel Wachs said in an interview with the Jerusalem Post that war songs like “Harbu Darbu” can offer “a feeling of togetherness and solidarity... They are a kind of collective therapy, a rallying point of what we feel.”
